Capture still does not justify Iraq war: Philly Inquirer

[jbfam4]

Posted on Tue, Dec. 16, http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/7500452.htm2003

Capture still does not justify Iraq war

Don Harrison


His capture does not, in any way, justify our ill-advised, ill-timed, ill-planned act of aggression. Besides wreaking death and destruction and alienating the rest of the world, this preemptive strike against a nonexistent threat distracted us from the real threat: al-Qaeda. President Bush and cronies claim the occupation of Iraq is part of our war against terror, but it's actually had an opposite effect. Afghanistan, a true haven for terrorism, remains in turmoil; the Taliban is resurgent and Osama bin Laden remains at large. He may be on the run, as Saddam was, but it's not likely he's hiding in a spider hole.

Hoodwinking the American public into believing Saddam posed a threat to the United States was deliberate - and apparently successful. Even if those weapons of mass destruction exist, there's no way a Third World backwater like Iraq could have anywhere near the arsenal we do, let alone the capacity to deliver those weapons halfway across the world.

The rebuilding of Iraq is being handicapped by violence, a deteriorating infrastructure, some questionable corporate actions of our no-bid contractors, and lack of participation by other nations. Small wonder. Arrogantly and petulantly, we have insulted important allies that wouldn't go along with us in the Iraq invasion. France, Germany, Russia, Canada - they're in a bind, too. Middle East stability - if that's not a contradiction in terms - is in everyone's best interests. They should participate in rebuilding Iraq, and would, if we'd let them. But understandably, they're reluctant to fall in lockstep behind American direction, and besides, we're "punishing" them for what we consider their disloyalty by locking them out of the rebuilding process.


But do you feel any safer?

[joeybee12]

1. We're actually less safe--the Repukes lied, and most of the Dems are

too cowardly to call them on it.

[ithacan]

2. absolutely true! Just watched "Uncovered, the whole truth

about the Iraq war" and what most struck me is how totally irrelevant the whole capture of Saddam is to the overall picture.

Bush and company did not justify this war as a way to capture Saddam or even get him out of power.

It was TOTALLY about the WMDs. They lied and lied and lied about the WMDs.

It is so hard to believe that people are falling for the capture of Saddam, that it would actually change peoples' minds...